French Court Rules That 11-Year-Old Girl Consented To Sexual Intercourse With Adult Male

When a French court ruled this week an 11-year-old girl had “consensual” sexual relations with a 28-year-old man, child advocates were outraged.

When the shocking case made worldwide headlines, children’s rights groups demanded the law be changed in the country.

The young girl said she was lured by the older man from a park near Paris to his apartment in Montmagny. He told her he would “teach her how to kiss.” Once they arrived at the building, they had sexual intercourse in a stairwell. The man is a father of two, had met the girl twice before they engaged in sexual relations.

The girl’s parents notified police and told them their daughter was raped by the man, and he was arrested by the Police in April.

The French prosecutors in the Val d’Oise department said due to a lack of evidence; the girl “consented” to have sex with the older man. They ruled that they could not charge him with rape because he was not violent and he did not threaten her. He was then charged with sexual abuse of a minor and is due to appear in court in February.

The girl’s attorney, Carine Diebolt, condemned the decision and claimed the man was assertive with her and threatened her repute.

“We should not even have this debate when it comes to a child,” Diebolt said. “There is a difference between curiosity and consent to a sexual act with a 28-year-old guy in a staircase.”

The girl’s mother claimed her daughter was “paralyzed by fear” at the time of the incident and was “unable to defend herself.”

“She thought it was too late, that she didn’t have the right to protest, that it wouldn’t make any difference, so she went into autopilot, without emotion and without reaction,” the mother said.

The man’s attorney argued the man was not aware of the girl’s age and believed he had “explicit consent.” The girl says she showed the man a notebook stating her age. The lawyer said the man described the young girl as “fearless” and claimed she sent nude photos of herself via the internet.

The age of sexual consent is 15 years old in France. For an act to be distinguished as rape, there has to be a threat or violence involved during sex.

Children’s rights groups have expressed outrage to the ruling and demanded the law be revised.

“The question of consent or its absence should never be asked for rape victims who are minors,” La Voix de l’Enfant, a children’s rights group said.

“It’s truly terrifying to think that an 11-year-old girl is supposed to have the judgment of an adult,” Armelle Le Bigot Macaux, the leader of Cofrade children’s rights group, said.